The purpose of this study was to track long-term employment outcomes of Project SEARCH alumni who
attended either National Institutes of Health (NIH) or Montgomery County Government (MCG) Project
SEARCH programs between 2010 and 2013. Based on feedback from 29 Project SEARCH alumni, it
appears that three quarters are employed for pay, most work between 15-24 hours per week, almost all
of these earn more than minimum wage, and just over half receive benefits. Most jobs, paid or
volunteer, involve entry level clerical and/or manual tasks. Contact with Project SEARCH staff is less
frequent than it was during internships, but for the most part continues to be of high quality. Most
alumni are eligible for employment support, and the majority receives it through SEEC. Most alumni
continue to live at home with their parents, though almost all have learned to travel independently
using public transportation. The majority of alumni are satisfied with their current employment
situations, and those who are not are either unemployed or underemployed. A significant majority of
parents felt that Project SEARCH did a very good job of preparing alumni for employment, although a
few exceptions felt that training and/or support could have been better.
Click here to access the Executive Summary.Click here to access the full study.